A psychological aphorism

Further to the below on the subject of "giving oneself permission to be evil..."

Generally what we hate to see others doing most is what we want to do ourselves but don't allow ourselves to, or think we can get away with.

So at the point where we recognize the antisocial impulses implanted in us by genetics and environment, we can "forgive" those of others - which, in a political sense, means rejecting moralism, the idea that there are good and bad people, and instead adopting the Bobby Sands dictum that "everyone has their own part to play".

My middle name is misery

There are two primary motivations for declaring someone or something else evil:

• Enhancing the cohesion of your own group;
• Giving yourself permission to be evil "in retaliation".

We might therefore say that declaring others to be evil is the source of all evil. Because factually there is no such thing as someone beyond the reach of goodness. Hitler loved his dog. Margaret Thatcher was on the research team that invented soft-serve ice-cream.